1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to bearings and more particularly to an adjustable bearing capable of accommodating deflections of a rotating shaft and which electrically isolates the shaft from a supporting surface.
2. Related History
In the context of rotating shafts, bearings have been employed as a carrier about which the shafts rotate. Particular problems have been encountered in connection with bearings wherein the application requirements necessitated supporting rotating shafts which were subject to axis deflections.
Environments wherein rotating shafts were subject to vibrations induced variations in the angle of inclination of the rotating shaft axes. Bearings which included tilt segments which were able to adjust for radial and axial shaft deflections have been suggested. Among the disadvantages of prior self adjusting bearings were the following:
(a) Many optimized segments were capable of permitting rotation in only one direction; PA1 (b) Some bearing configurations were complicated, required numerous parts, were costly and servicing was difficult and time consuming; PA1 (c) The load capacities were relatively small per unit of bearing area; PA1 (d) In bearing applications requiring lubrication, a relatively high volume of oil flow was required; PA1 (e) In bearing applications requiring lubrication, relatively complex hydrostatic systems were necessary to simultaneously lubricate several segments; and PA1 (f) In applications requiring electrical isolation of a rotating shaft, insulation was placed between the bearing support and the support surface with such insulation being unreliable and with the shaft being subject to grounding by inadvertent contact with the bearing support.